Blackberry Support

I am still surprised at how many web apps that I use support the iPhone but not the Blackberry. I'm honestly not sure what the developers are thinking. Here is another article that shows just how much more marketshare RIM has than Apple (more than double in the last quarter!).

It seems to me that a little more effort on the BB front is in order. ;)

I sell blackberries and I'm amazed how much hype there is with the iPhone. I do like the iPhone and think its an amazing device, but I prefer the efficient design of the blackberry.

What I would like is better integration with the blackberry. A website that works with the blackberry browser. Integration with google cal (which syncs with the bb calendar with google sync).

Here is something I posted recently....

I use Toodledo nearly every day on my blackberry curve. Here are some tips you can use:

- I use the email import to add tasks as I think of them through out the day. I have auto text set up for frequently used contexts (typing m1 then the space bar converts to !!! @Mileage #today for recording my daily business miles). I also have an "inbox" auto text, BUT I try to decide what context and when to do the task WHEN I add it. Deciding what to do with something when it first comes up means less deciding later.

- When I'm somewhere that I have some context set up for (i.e. Grocery), I will retrieve tasks by email, to make sure that I haven't missed anything when I'm there...don't forget the Milk...I send an ? @Grocery email to Toodledo.

- I have the web page for "add multiple tasks" bookmarked for times where I need to add several tasks to a context at one time (which happens frequently for me). This works well with the blackberry browser.

- When I'm on my laptop or at home, I will check my tasks off and review the list to focus my energies on the remaining list.

I can see the benefits of a "made for blackberry" website of Toodledo or an iPhone-like client, but I have made great strides in staying organized and on top of my commitments and responsibilities just using the system above.

FYI, I also use google calendar for appointment specific commitments and daily schedules. I also use google sync to get my google calendar and my blackberry calendar synchronized. Google calendar works great with the blackberry web browser. I keep it bookmarked for a quickly adding appointments and commitments.

For quick and important reminders, I use Sandy (iwantsandy.com). I just send her a quick email. Remind me to call joe at 5....

I have both a BlackBerry (various models over the past 6 years) and an iPod Touch (for 6 months). Both are with me most of the time. I can honestly say that I rarely use Toodledo on my BlackBerry. It is such a better experience on my Touch. If I happen to be somewhere that doesn't have wifi I'm either driving and just use the Jott integration to record new tasks or I email tasks to myself.

My next phone will likely be an iPhone and I think that may be the case for many others. I think the BB lead will diminish significantly once the new 3G iPhones come out with their enterprise email capabilities.

However, there are so many BB users out there that an improved interface would please a large number of users.

We are a small company so we cannot afford to purchase and maintain contracts with every type of phone browser out there. We happen to have iPhones, so this is why we focused on making an iPhone app.

However, we recently became aware that there is a blackberry simulator that we can run on our computers, thus removing the expense burden. If the simulator works well, we will be making a blackberry compatible webpage for Toodledo.

We are a small company so we cannot afford to purchase and maintain contracts with every type of phone browser out there. We happen to have iPhones, so this is why we focused on making an iPhone app.

However, we recently became aware that there is a blackberry simulator that we can run on our computers, thus removing the expense burden. If the simulator works well, we will be making a blackberry compatible webpage for Toodledo.

Same goes for Windows Mobile 6. We found a simulator for that too.

This is understandable. Great to hear about the simulator. I sure hope it works! Thanks for the effort!

I use Toodledo on a Blackberry Curve and it looks OK to me. If the Blackberry Browser is a problem for you, install Opera Mini. I think you will like the Opera Mini browser a lot more anyway, plus Toodledo looks as good with that as it does anywhere.

And why do developers port their applications to iPhones and Windows Mobile devices but not Blackberry? Because they can!

Both the iPhone and Windows Mobile platforms have opened up their OS to third party developers more freely via their API's. RIM, on the other hand, allows only minimal access to third party developers. They decided in the beginning to keep Blackberry devices generally closed so they can control development of software for them. If you notice there are very few developers that create applications for Blackberries, and they are RIM "partners". Notice also that they usually develop ONLY for RIM. Notice further that software for the Blackberry is extremely expensive, also! That is how RIM planned it and how they have kept it.

Becoming a RIM/BB affiliate requires spending a lot of resources - time, energy, and money - for a much smaller market than other platforms. Can't count too much on corporate BB's since most companies tightly control the ability to install software for security reasons.

I sell Blackberries and I disagree with the statement saying that few people develop for blackberry. Its not that expensive to develop for (look at all of the $5-$10 games available) and you do not have to be an affiliate to develop. In Q1 of this year Blackberry had a 46% marketshare versus Apple's 19.2%. Even if you take out the corporate customers, there is a much larger group of people using the blackberry for personal use. I think that in the long run, it would be valuable to have a blackberry specific client or web page, even if there was an extra charge to access it.

Blackberry is the market leader in smart phones and will continue to do so until the iPhone matures. Even then, its unclear if the iPhone will take over RIM's spot at #1. They are both great devices and both can benefit the user from optimized versions of this site.

After being a Pro user for about 9 months, I still find myself barely using ToodleDo on my BB Curve. That is not for lack of trying. It is due to a lack of offline synching/native app and poor browser experience via either the BB browser or Opera Mini. This, of course, is very disappointing for me. It leaves me really only using ToodleDo when I'm sitting in front of a computer or when I have an abnormally high amount of patience (excluding Jott). The pocketmod helps some, but using it feels like it defeats the purpose of having a BB in the first place.

I have to admit that, at least in the short-term, I'd be pretty happy if the Slim interface was 100% compatible with Opera Mini or, possibly even better, if there was a version that was as fast/functional for the BB browser. Is this too much to ask? With Opera Mini, a few of the screens in the Slim interface are a jumbled mess to the point that I can't really read or navigate them. While neither of these wouldn give me offline access when I'm out of data coverage, they would at least give me a handy, fully-functional interface that didn't regularly result in consternation and frustration.

At this point, as much as I like what ToodleDo has to offer in general, I'm re-evaluating whether it will be worth re-subscribing. I've come to accept that good BB compatibility is not merely ideal functionality; it is a make-or-break issue. I invested in the BB for the ability to achieve increased productivity, not increased mobile phone costs. Not being able to use it well for managing my To Do lists is defeating that purpose. I might have to make due with an inferior solution for better mobile capability. It is up to you, dear ToodleDo developers. It always has been.

None of us at Toodledo have a Blackberry, so that makes developing for it quite difficult. However, we are considering purchasing one so that we can get something working for you guys. It's a long road though, so hopefully you will stick around till we get there.

I understand that, which is why I mentioned a fully Opera Mini-compatible version - it would not require owning a BB and should really only constitute minor tweaking to the current Slim interface, which is probably 80% fine in Opera Mini as-is.

It is not the ideal long-term answer, but it at least would allow me to feel comfortable renewing for another year. It seems to me to be the simplest, quickest way to dangle the carrot (or extend an olive branch - pick your metaphor) to the BB (as well as other non-iPhone mobile) users.

ToodledoBB is being built specifically for sync with Toodledo.com. A phased private beta release is slated for any day now. If you're interested, go over to the site and sign up: http://www.toodledobb.com

We have started the private beta program for ToodledoBB, the to-do list app for Blackberry specifically built for Toodledo.com sync. If you would like to be considered for the program and sign up for our newsletter, go to www.ToodledoBB.com and click on the sign up link. Its quick, easy, and pain free.